The Impact of PMO Communications on Delivering Strategic Objectives

Communication in the PMO is a game of Chutes and Ladders. You need to articulate strategic goals down to project managers and tactical progress up to executives. And you need to remember not to be a snake while doing it. In a post for the PM Perspectives Blog, Rebecca Leitch describes the value of empathy in communications up and down the ladder.

When it comes to communicating up, remember that each executive cares about project progress for his or her own reasons, and it is on you to cater information to people’s motivations. The more you understand how the various parts of the business affect each other, the better and more empathetically you will be able to discuss developments with stakeholders. The same principle applies when it comes to communicating down, actually, except in this case the “moving parts” are project team members themselves.